Lectio Div Catholic Gospel

"The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

"'What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD—for he proclaims peace to his people, and to his faithful ones, and to those who put in him their hope. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 19:23-30, today's readings).

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?”

On hearing that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to enter the kingdom of God, the disciples ask Jesus this question. Peter recognizes the gravity of discipleship and asks what that will lead to for them. Jesus tells him that they will see the Son of Man seated on his throne of glory and that they will sit on twelve thrones as judges of Israel. Jesus says of everyone who has given up material possessions of this world "will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life." And he warns them, "But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” What single possession or all possessions combined is worth more than the inheritance of eternal life as adopted sons and daughters of the Father?

God, help me call to mind throughout the day the response of Jesus when the disciples ask him who can be saved. He simply says, For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." With you, Lord, all things are possible. The difficulty of giving up possessions or giving up anything that prevents me from entering your kingdom is impossible for me but possible for you. Everyone, Jesus says, who has given up worldly possessions for the sake of his name, will inherit eternal life. The first will be last, and the last will be first. If Jesus makes this great good possible, then smaller gifts in this life that lead to him, surely will be given even before we ask. Give me the grace, Lord, to understand the promise of eternal life made possible through Jesus so that by his poverty I might become rich.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The LORD heard my cry. He drew me out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud of the swamp; he set my feet upon a crag; he made firm my steps. Lord, come to my aid!

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 12:49-53, today's readings).

Jesus said to his disciples: "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division."

Jesus tells the disciples that he comes to bring fire to the earth through his baptism of purification. He makes clear that his message will lead to division, even among families, as some accept it but others reject it. Similarly, in the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah faces opposition as he proclaims the truth about Jerusalem's coming destruction. He is put in prison by those who view his message as demoralizing. Both readings reveal the conflict that arises from the truth. There are real challenges and divisions that believers encounter when standing up for God's word, but there is also steadfast hope for deliverance amid conflict and adversity.

God, what is the unity and hope you bring to believers even as they experience division and trial? Let the psalmist's prayer be mine. You come to the aid of those who wait patiently for you and you stoop toward them to hear and deliver them. "And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God. Many shall look on in awe and trust in the LORD." You draw me out of all that would mire me and keep me from you, setting my feet on solid ground. Give me the grace, Lord, to endure opposition and adversity as I listen for your voice and persevere in running the race that lies before me. Lord, come to my aid!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, says, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” She cries out in a loud voice before Mary and before God as a prophet might cry out or as one so full of conviction that it was impossible not to cry out. Elizabeth is divinely inspired to express what has become contained in the Hail Mary, prayed countless billions of times generation after generation. And what did she say that resounds over the millennia? “Blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Because Elizabeth was divinely inspired to say these words as was Mary in proclaiming the Magnificat, the depth and breadth of what they express continue to invite us into the beauty and mystery of the incarnation, the resurrection of Jesus, and Mary's assumption, body and soul, into heaven.

God, thank you for what the Gospel reveals about Mary and Elizabeth’s greeting to each other. They each express a depth of faith that goes beyond what is knowable in the natural world. Elizabeth proclaimed Mary as the Mother of God before Jesus’ birth, and Mary praised God for remembering his promise of mercy. God, help me recognize Mary’s role as an instrument of mercy, both in life and after her assumption. She proclaimed the greatness of the Lord and his holy name: “for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers.” Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

"So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."

"Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

The disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me."

Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 12:32-48, today's readings).

"Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

These words of Jesus spoken to the disciples follow his teaching on discipleship. Jesus tells the parable of the servant awaiting the master's return from a wedding. "Blessed are those servants," Jesus says, "whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. . . . for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Peter asks if the parable is meant only for them or for everyone, and Jesus answers by sharing another parable. This one focuses on a master who goes away and puts a steward in charge of the distribution of food at the proper time. Jesus speaks to the "little flock"—that's all of us—when he tells his stewards to store up an inexhaustible treasure in heaven. "For where your treasure is," he says, "there also will your heart be."

God, help me hear the reassuring voice of Jesus today and throughout the days ahead. “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom." What are the belongings Jesus asks me to sell? The material things I possess are more than I need—more clothing, food, money. Even more, Lord, what belongings am I attached to that in some way prevent me from storing up treasures in heaven? Give me the grace, Lord, to conform my will to yours more and more, with a heart that treasures what you treasure, so that when the unexpected knock comes at the door, I am ready to open immediately at your arrival.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

I love you, O LORD, my strength, O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. I love you, Lord, my strength.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 17:14-20, today's readings).

Jesus said in reply, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured.

The father who brings his son to Jesus has watched the son suffer terribly, falling into fire and often into water. In his anguish, he brings him to the disciples, who try to cure the boy but fail. When the boy is brought to Jesus, he rebukes the demon, who comes out of him immediately, and the disciples ask, "Why could we not drive it out?" Along with chastising them, Jesus encourages the disciples. Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. "Nothing," Jesus says, "will be impossible for you." What kind of faith the father must have had to bring his son first to the disciples and then to Jesus. Through his perseverance, the father received his son back, restored and whole, from the arms of the Good Shepherd.

God, help me have faith at all times, whether I succeed or fail to see its effects. Just as the father put all of his trust in Jesus, give me the grace to do the same even during trials and suffering. In the first reading, Moses says to the people: "The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." With the little faith I have, Lord, help deepen my understanding of the words of Jesus: "Nothing will be impossible for you."

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.